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The Spanish East Indies were the colonies of the Spanish Empire in Asia and Oceania from 1565 to 1901. They included the Philippines, Guam, Taiwan, parts of Indonesia and Micronesia, and were governed by Manila until ceded to the US.
Learn about the Spanish territories in Asia and Oceania from 1565 to 1901, including the Philippines, Guam, and Micronesia. Find out how they were governed, what languages and religions they had, and how they were ceded to the US and Germany.
The history of the Philippines from 1565 to 1898 is known as the Spanish colonial period, during which the Philippine Islands were ruled as the Captaincy General of the Philippines within the Spanish East Indies, initially under the Viceroyalty of New Spain, based in Mexico City, until the independence of the Mexican Empire from Spain in 1821.
- The Pyramid of Government
- Council of The Indies
- Viceroys
- Corregidores
- Audiencias
- Alcaldes Mayores & Town Councils
- Interrelations & Limitations
- GeneratedCaptionsTabForHeroSec
Spain colonised vast parts of the Americas starting from the landing by Christopher Columbus(1451-1506) in 1492. Working through the Caribbean islands and then moving on to the mainland in the first decades of the 16th century, by 1570, some 100,000 Europeans were governing over 10 million indigenous peoples who inhabited lands from what is today t...
The Council of the Indies (El Real y Supremo Consejo de las Indias) was based in Spain, and it was created by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (r. 1519-1556) in 1524 to oversee all colonial matters in the Americas and the Spanish East Indies. The name of this institution comes from the term then used to describe the Americas, the 'Spanish Indies'. The...
The viceroy directly represented the Spanish Crown in their particular colonial territory, a viceroyalty being the largest administrative area within the empire. There were eventually four viceroyalties: 1. The Viceroyalty of New Spain(today's Mexico, Central America, parts of the southern United States, the Caribbean Antilles, and the Philippines)...
The corregidor was a judicial and political officer who directly represented the Spanish Crown. He was, in effect, the governor of a specific area. The corregidor in New Spain served for five years if selected from Spain, but only three years if recruited locally. In Peru, he served for just one year. Thecorregidor appointed administrators (tenient...
All the major cities of the Spanish Empire had an audiencia, which was responsible for certain legal, political and commercial matters which concerned both European settlers and indigenous peoples. The audiencia had jurisdiction over a particular city and its surrounding area. It met in regular sessions (acuerdos) and passed legislation (autos acor...
Local town councils (cabildos) were led by a mayor (alcaldes mayores) who typically served for three years. Beneath the mayor were the councillors (regidores), between four and six in a small town and at least eight in larger towns. The councillors were initially appointed by the Crown but then elected by the local citizens (vecinos), that is prope...
All of the above institutions and individuals were so organised that they kept each other in check and resulted in no single person or body ever becoming so powerful that they might threaten the interests of the Spanish monarchy. Another specific policy to ensure this objective was to limit the terms of office of officials in any single location. T...
Learn how the Spanish monarchy, the Council of the Indies, the viceroyalties, and other officials controlled and exploited the colonies in the Americas and the East Indies. Explore the challenges and conflicts of colonial rule and the aims of wealth and conversion.
- Mark Cartwright
Jun 6, 2022 · The Council of the Indies (El Real y Supremo Consejo de las Indias) operated from 1524 to 1834 and was the supreme governing body of the Spanish Empire in the Americas and Spanish East Indies.
- Mark Cartwright
- The Council of the Indies governed all administrative, commercial, military, and judicial matters regarding the Spanish colonies in the Americas an...
- The Council of the Indies governed the Spanish Empire in the Americas, at the time known as the 'Spanish Indies'.
- The first president of the Council of the Indies was Fray Garcia de Loaísa, the general of the Dominicans and bishop of El Burgo de Osma.
- The Council of the Indies did supervise a vast transfer of wealth back to Spain and organise the conversion of indigenous peoples to Christianity,...
Sep 6, 2017 · Both landmarks have histories that date back to the establishment of the Spanish East Indies in the late 1500s. Lester Ledesma. The cannon-proof walls of Intramuros provide a stark contrast to...
Oct 16, 2009 · The origins of Spanish colonisation can be traced back to the late 15th century when Christopher Columbus set sail in search of new lands and resources. His discovery of the Americas in 1492 marked the beginning of the Spanish Empire’s expansion, which would eventually encompass vast territories across multiple continents.
